It’s hard to believe looking at the current BMW range, but the Isetta was once built and marketed as a BMW. Various companies built the Italian-designed Isetta under license in a number of countries, but to this day, the BMW version remains the best known.

Powered by a single-cylinder engine ranging from 250cc and 12hp to 300cc and 13hp, the BMW Isetta was a cute-looking bubble car that had (and still has) a broad fan base. However, it is pretty rare to find the owner of an Isetta who bought the car new and still keeps it running.

One of these people is Jack Charney, who bought a brand new BMW Isetta in 1957 that he used to commute to work. However, when the engine started to cause him troubles, he decided to sell the car. Obviously, he began regretting the sale (the 1970s oil-crisis also contributed to this) and decided to buy another Isetta. As life sometimes plays pranks on us, Jack ended up finding the very same car he had sold nearly 20 years earlier!

Although the Isetta had only done 25 miles (40 km) from the time he sold it until he found it again, it was not in a good state. Of course, now the car is restored and you can admire it in the video below, courtesy of Petrolicious.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO